Reality Check

I grabbed this off AGR the other day, and thought it was a good
introduction for Locals as to what to expect.

I wish ya'll would keep in mind the fact that many people who do not
know much about Rainbow are reading the newsgroup this time of year. To
folks unfamiliar with what it's all about, these discussions are
beginning to sound as though dangerous idiocy is the norm. So I'd like
to make some comments that will bring this back to balance.

To all you curious folks out there: Please be aware that the newsgroup
is much like any rumor mill. Only the really sensational or
controversial stuff gets talked about this much, usually inaccurately,
and always blown out of proportion. Though it may not be obvious from
discussions such as this, we really are, on the whole, very
peace-loving, very gentle folks.

We are a temporary community of fifteen thousand or so people.
Naturally, as with any community this size, problems do occur. What you
don't hear much about is how effectively we handle them. We have an
excellent security system that we call "Shanti Sena," which means "Peace
Army." All of us are considered to be Shanti Sena. We are all
responsible for finding lost kids, for keeping the scene mellow, for
de-escalating conflict, and preserving the peace. There is, in
addition, a network of people who have many years experience dealing
with the heavier stuff that occurs when people get together in a group
of this size.

Please be aware that, in spite of what you may hear from the press or
the forest service about what a bunch of outlaws we are (they like to
sensationalize, too), the fact is that we are extremely conscienscious
about addressing concerns about safety, health, and the well-being of
the forest. The money the Forest Service and local law enforcement
agencies alocate to the gatherings each year is spent almost exclusively
on harassment of people coming and going from the gathering. They do
nothing to protect or to keep the peace in and around the local
communities, nor inside the gathering itself. Locals in the area around
the gathering should be aware that they will be harassed by law
enforcement, as well.

This is a huge pork barrel for Forest Service law enforcement; the
statistics they gather each year, and which the press delights in
reporting, serve to justify the interests and existence of unnecessary
police presence, and impinges on the rights of every American citizen to
freely associate and freely travel where and when they choose.

Admittedly, the one hole in our bucket is the numbers of young folks,
usually new to rainbow, who come to gather but spend large amounts of
time in town, pandhandling and hitting up local charities and food
banks. Please be aware that they are not representative of the whole of
Rainbow, and that there is no need for them to be doing this. They are
scamming. Most folks who have been to more than a couple of gatherings
are not happy at all that these "kidz" are doing this. Don't give them
any money, do not feel sorry for them, and don't assume that Rainbow
encourages this sort of thing.

Most of us will do whatever we can to be respectful of the local folks
and to maintain good relations. Any of us with any common sense would
love to work in cooperation with the Forest Service resource people and
with local law enforcement to ensure a safe and healthy gathering, and
to make sure people who live in the area are, for the most part, happy
we came.

It is most unfortunate that the gatherings have become a political
issue, with the policies surrounding them administered out of Washington
D.C., and responded to by federal law enforcement with unjustified fear
and hostility. Left to our own devices, in the past (before the F.S.
instituted their current Incident Command Team approach to the
gatherings) we have been able to have extremely good relations with the
district rangers, with local law enforcement, and with the folks who
live in the area near the gathering.

It would be wonderful if the Forest Service would change their attitude
and try using a cooperative rather than an adversarial approach to
"manage" the gatherings. However, judging from the recent "information"
they supplied the Spokesman Review, they intend to maintain the
inflammatory stance they have had towards the gathering in the last
several years.

In spite of that, we will remain who we are and continue to attempt to
reason with them and to do what we can to establish harmonious relations
with everyone involved. All we want to do is come, be with each other,
and then leave in peace.